Naples debates need for police department Most citizens who spoke up Wednesday were against the village hiring its own police force

Wednesday

Aug 20, 2014 at 11:29 PMAug 20, 2014 at 11:29 PM

By Julie Sherwood jshserwood@messengerpostmedia.com

NAPLES — Does the village of Naples need a police officer?

The village has a car ready to be outfitted with the latest radio equipment, a place to detain suspects (a police barracks because years ago the village had an officer) — and a retired New York City Police detective now part-time with Steuben County Sheriff’s Office and village of Wayland offering consultant services for virtually free.

But the case for a village officer didn’t sit well with most residents who attended an informational meeting Wednesday evening before three members of the Village Board. Leading the meeting that Mayor Brian Schenk said was to assess citizens’ opinions on the issue, was the newest trustee, Paul Gullo, head of the Village Board’s Public Safety Committee. Gullo was appointed in April to fill a vacancy following the resignation of Sarah Fargnoli. Trustee Sarge Frappier also attended.

The biggest objections focused on cost and the question of whether the village needs its own police force.

“I see no need here,” said village resident Rose Mary Hooper, who presented the board with statistics she had obtained through a Freedom Of Information request that showed crimes in the village decreased over the past two years.

“If we are in such a crime wave, what has the mayor done to get citizens” to take precautions? asked village resident Judy DiRaddo, who also objected to a move toward village police.

DiRaddo cited examples such as advising residents to lock their doors and cars, leave lights on and so forth. “There are many steps we can take ...so we don’t have to hire somebody,” she said.

“Before we jump into a police state we might want to re-set up a neighborhood watch,” suggested resident Joan Luther.

Resident George Traver said he couldn’t see the village spending money on police when many residents like him are on fixed incomes and there isn’t evidence that the village needs an officer.

Grant money is also not the saving grace, said resident Linda Almekinder, who is also a longtime ambulance volunteer. “I hate this whole grant thing. There is no free money out there,” she said.

“No one wants their taxes raised. We would want to do this at minimal cost to the village and town,” said Gullo, who was questioned about his own motives.

Gullo said he is a trained police officer, though he does not have plans to seek the position and could not serve on the board if he was hired.

Under discussion is developing a police department that would include a part-time officer, an administrator and possibly one or two other employees. Several years ago police from Steuben County, which borders Naples to the south, stopped responding to Naples, and response now depends solely on Ontario County. At issue are response times that can vary from a few minutes to several hours, according to consultant Christopher Valez, a retired New York City detective who now lives in North Cohocton and is part-time with Steuben County and the village of Wayland.

The board is paying Valez dollar to help develop a proposal for village police. Valez answered certain questions that citizens raised at the meeting and had statistics on the number of calls for alleged crimes. Between Jan. 1 and June 30 of this year, 30 calls came in for service in the village, he said. That number is low, he said. For comparison, Valez said in a conversation after the meeting, that in the village of Wayland, close in population to Naples, there were about 100 such calls during the same period.

“I am here to help for free,” Valez said during the meeting.

Addressing questions about whether he was seeking the position, Valez said he was not actively seeking the job of part-time officer for Naples, though he didn’t say he would turn it down if offered. Hiring is up to the Village Board, he said.

Valez, who when he retired from full-time police work was senior detective with the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, told those at the meeting the issue is about “quality of life.”

On the one hand, neighbors watching out for neighbors is a big part of keeping a community safe, he said. A problem today is that “people have become isolationists,” Valez said.

“The key is getting people involved,” he said.

The question of whether Ontario County could provide a part-time deputy for Naples came up, along with whether the school resource officer at Naples could respond to community calls. There was no clear answer on the role of the resource officer, though on the matter of Ontario County Sheriff’s Office reponse, Valez said the issue is not enough personnel.

A few at the meeting spoke favorably of policing for the village. Pat Rischpater, who lives at the intersection of County Road 33 and Elizabeth Street, said she is concerned about activity she sees in her neighborhood and thinks a police presence would increase safety. More visitors to Grimes Glen and traffic problems on Vine Street leading to the glen was also mentioned.

Janice Robinson raised the issue of drugs and particularly heroin that is getting attention statewide with more heroin overdoses happening in rural areas and efforts to combat the problem.

“I think this whole thing is about money,” said Rischpater. Responded Gullo: “Forget about the money. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a police officer?”

Several people chimed in “no.” Later, when citizens asked for a copy of costs trustees had put together in developing a proposal, Gullo said a copy would be available at the Village Hall, 106 S. Main St.

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